The Dark Child
by slytherins-heir
Summary: THE NEW VERSION, RECENTLY UPLOADED. Set 11 years after the gang leave Hogwarts. It is based around their children, and the strange girl that Neville has adopted.
1. prologue

Authors note: Yes it is back, not that it was gone for long, the all new, rewritten version of The Dark Child.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter…… Yet MWAHHH (  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The young woman stood there, in the middle of the London street, holding her four week old baby in loving arms. And yet while she was a woman who obviously loved her little dark eyed daughter, there was a sense of foreboding and sadness around her tense figure.  
  
She was waiting for somebody, that much was clear, by the way that her eyes darted around the crowded street. She was expecting something, something bad.  
  
And then she came out of the crowd, a woman maybe a few years younger than the mother, long red hair swirling around her shoulders and blue eyes glittering with emotion.  
  
"You don't have to do this you know," said the red head "we can protect her, and you."  
  
"It is too late, he knows that she exists," whispered the woman "he knows what she is."  
  
"What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Take her away, somewhere safe where she can't be found. She must not be discovered."  
  
"I will do my best," whispered the red head, gently taking the tiny baby out of her mothers arms.  
  
"Her name is Celestrial," whispered the mother "I want her to know that."  
  
"Of course." The red head turned around, and then disappeared into the crowded London street. Leaving the other woman to watch them leave, tears streaming down her face. 


	2. It starts

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other original characters, they belong to their rightful owners.  
  
Authors Note: I kinda stuffed up my prologue, I don't know how I didn't get paragraphs. So if you see HTML code in this, don't worry it's just me stuffing up again.  
  
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Jack Potter stood on platform 9 ¾ looking around for his three best friends Adam Weasley, Thomas Longbottom and Dennis Wood. The platform was full like it usually was on the first day of term. The first years were wandering around with terrified looks on their faces, and it made Jack remember this time last year, when he stood on the platform for the first time.  
  
"Jack hey Jack," came a cry from down the platform, and he turned around to see Thomas hurrying towards him with his trolley.  
  
"Thomas I didn't get a single owl from you all holidays, where have you been?" demanded Jack, and the other boys face darkened as he pushed a piece of brown hair from his eyes.  
  
"You'll never guess what my parents have gone and done," he whispered.  
  
"What?" demanded Jack, beckoning for Adam to come over from where he was standing with his grandmother Molly.  
  
"They've adopted this thing from a muggle orphanage," said Thomas "it's a girl, and unfortunately she's been accepted into Hogwarts to."  
  
"Yeah so," said Adam, shrugging his shoulders "she'll be in first year won't she?"  
  
"That's the thing, she should be, but she's so talented that they've placed her in second year," Thomas's head dropped "she's going to be with us!" The other boys looked at each other in surprise.  
  
"Oh come on Thomas, she can't be all that bad," said Adam, laughing happily "you make her sound like a vampire or something." Thomas stared at him.  
  
"That's exactly what I think she is," he said, and then he turned to where somebody else was coming through the barrier "that's her." Adam and Jack turned to look at the new arrival. She was tall, nearly as tall as Adam, with extremely long straight black hair, big black eyes, skin so pale it looked like she had never been in the sun before and pale bloodless lips.  
  
"I can't believe you've been living with her all holidays," said Jack when they were safely shut into their carriage on the train "she looks dreadful."  
  
"You have no idea," answered Thomas, shaking his head "she's kept herself locked in her room all the time, and she's already read all the first year and second year books. She's already made a Shrinking Solution and turned Trevor into a tadpole, and then refused to turn him back."  
  
"But we don't make that until third year," said Dennis.  
  
"I know, the girl is like some kinda genius or something," said Thomas "Mum and Dad are so proud of her. It's horrible." Suddenly the carriage door was opened, and the girl stood at the doorway.  
  
"Hello Celestrial," whispered Thomas, and the girl nodded shortly.  
  
"Hello Thomas," her voice was just above a whisper and as smooth as silk, her eyes shining with dislike as she looked at the other boys "I was told to sit in here with you."  
  
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So what do you think? Please review. 


	3. The Loonnngg journey

Disclaimer: naturally I don't own Harry Potter or anything else.  
  
Authors note: Please review pppllleeeaaassseee.  
  
  
  
The journey to Hogwarts had been reasonably uneventful, due to the fact that Celestrial had curled herself up in a corner and read a very large and very old book. And while she was there the three boys didn't feel like talking all that much, Celestrial seemed to be able to suck the happiness out of a place almost as well as a Dementor did. So it wasn't surprising that Jack was very happy when the Hogwarts Express finally reached the Hogsmeade station.  
  
Celestrial stepped off of the annoyingly red train and onto the platform, the night air was cold and crisp making her shiver. This was just the kind of weather that she liked, she was staring contentedly at the silver full moon when a large shape blocked her view of the heavens above.  
  
"Ok firs' years this way," came the booming voice of Hagrid, and Celestrial cringed in dislike at the loud and bad mannered giant.  
  
"There is no need to shout," she said "I am sure that they heard you back at London." Despite her voice being so soft, Hagrid heard it all the same and stared down at the pale girl standing beside him.  
  
"And what is your name?" demanded the giant, and Celestrial looked up at him with dark, cold black eyes.  
  
"My name is my own, what business is it to you?" she said, crossing her arms across her chest and staring at the giant without a flinch.  
  
"Jus' who do ya thin' ya are?" demanded Hagrid, who looked like he was about to lose his temper.  
  
"Her name is Celestrial Smith," said Thomas coming up beside them "she's starting in second year here."  
  
"Yah look a little young to be startin' second year," said Hagrid, and Celestrial just shrugged "then again there has been some weird mix-ups, like little Hermoine Granger spending an extra year at Hogwarts jus' because she had to many class's." the giant seemed to have gone off into some kind of day dream, probably of years gone by.  
  
"Excuse me for interrupting your little flash back," said Celestrial, her voice dripping in sarcasm "but wouldn't it be a good idea if we actually got to the school?"  
  
"Yes, yes of course," answered Hagrid "I suppose you'll get sorted like the rest of the new students?"  
  
"I suppose," whispered Celestrial, she looked around at the first years in disguist "if I have to."  
  
  
  
Adam Weasley placed his chin in his hand as he watched the sorting ceremony procede.  
  
"Smitten, Jenny," cried out McGonnagal, as a girl with brown pig tails hurried up to the sorting hat.  
  
"Is it just me or does Dumbledore look worse this year than last?" asked Dennis, and they all looked at the headmaster who did look rather older than usual.  
  
"He'll be retiring soon, he's getting way to old for all of this," said Thomas "do you think McGonnagal will get the job?"  
  
"Nah, it has to be Peeves," said Jack, and that caused Dennis to snort out a laugh.  
  
"Yeah, a great headmaster he'll be," laughed Adam.  
  
"I think Lupin will get the job," said Dennis, and the others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Smith, Celestrial," called out MrGonnagal then, and they all turned to watch. Celestrial climbed the stairs to the sorting hat carefully. She didn't seem scared at all, more apprehensive than anything. She placed the tattered old sorting hat onto her head and waited for a moment. Finally the cap cried out…  
  
"GRYFFINDOR."  
  
"What?" demanded Jack "that girl is Slytherin material if ever I saw it."  
  
"Shh she's coming over," whispered Thomas, and the black haired girl swept over to their table, her robes billowing out behind her as if they were to big.  
  
"It seems as if I have had the priviledge of joining your house," she said, her voice sounding hollow and sarcastic.  
  
"It seems that way," answered Dennis, glaring at Celestrial with a look of dislike. A look which she was all to happy to return.  
  
  
  
I know I know nothing really all that exciting has happened yet (we're getting there) 


	4. The Voice

Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter etc blah blah blah  
  
Authors note: Got my first review YEAH !!!!!!  
  
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Later that night, Celestrial was laying in bed unable to sleep. The Gryffindor dormitory was just to cheerful for somebody with her personality. Even in the dark she could feel the happiness in the room. She couldn't bear it if she had a nightmare, again, in this kind of room.  
  
They were always the same. It would start out in darkness, and then a man would come, in a green light that lit up the hole dark dreary room. There would be other people there to, wearing black masks over their faces, and their black robes waving in an unfelt breeze. Then a pain of such intensity would take over her body that she could hardly bear it. After that there was nothing except the sound of the a baby crying. Usually she would awake then, in a cold sweat, gasping for breath.  
  
The night was slowly progressing onwards through time, while thoughts were swimming through her head. And then something else joined those thoughts.  
  
'Celestrial' whispered a voice in her head 'Celestrial dear.' She sat up hurridly and stared around the dark room.  
  
"Who are you?" whispered Celestrial "What do you want?" but there was nobody there.  
  
'Don't be afraid, I am here to help you' said the voice 'you're father sent me.'  
  
"My father?" gasped Celestrial "you know my father?"  
  
'Of course I do and never has there been a more stubborn man,'' laughed the voice.  
  
"My father, who is he?" demanded Celestrial, the voice was silent for a moment.  
  
'The identity of your parents is something, a puzzle, that you have to find out in the course of time,' it finally said.  
  
"What? Why?" hissed Celestrial.  
  
'It is your fathers idea not mine.'  
  
"Oh, he likes puzzles does he?" Celestrial was unable to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.  
  
'He always was fond of putting things together' said the voice 'so was your mother for that matter.'  
  
"My mother?"  
  
'Yes, I must go now, call whenever you need me ok, dear,' and with that the voice was gone. Celestrial laid back on her bed, and closed her eyes, it was a dream, it had to be a dream.  
  
  
  
It was after breakfast when the Gryffindors were heading down to the dungeons that Thomas voiced the question that they were all thinking.  
  
"I wonder who the new potions master will be?" he asked, as they wandered down to the first lesson of the day. Over the past few years there had been a parade of potions teachers through Hogwarts. Ever since the original teacher disappeared some years ago. None of them had lasted more than a year. Many believed that it was because the dungeons were cursed.  
  
"Another boring dreary old man, who's spent way to much time over a cauldron," said Adam, when they reached the dungeons how ever there was a significant difference about them.  
  
  
  
Who does the voice belong to? Where has the original potions master gone? And what's so different about the dungeons? Wait until the next chapter to find out. 


	5. He's backkkk :

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Authors note: funny things have been happening, the potions master has gone missing, students are hearing strange voices in their heads, and You-Know- Who is back (someone far scarier than Voldemort.)  
  
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"It's PINK!!!!" exclaimed Adam, staring around in horror. The walls of the dungeon were pink, so was the floor, desks, stools and cauldrons.  
  
"That's right my proper little students," giggled a middle aged man, with long wavy blonde hair and perfect complexion.  
  
"Are we in the right room?" demanded Francis Leven, a Slytherin girl..  
  
"Indeed you are in the right room little lady," said the blonde man "and I am Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, your new potions master." Lockhart must have mistaken the students look of horror for something else because he continued.  
  
"You have heard of Magical Me I trust?" he said, grinning around at them.  
  
"Oh yes, we've heard of you," said both Jack and Adam, winking at each other. They had heard of this strange man from their fathers, he had been the DADA teacher when they were in their 2nd year. Lockhart smiled around the class again, and then his eyes settled on Celestrial. A black mark in the pink room. Jack looked at her, the girl looked positively i'll, then again the pink was a bit overpowering.  
  
"Well who do we have here?" asked Lockhart, walking over to where Celestrial was sitting. At a bench that she had magicked black.  
  
"My name is Celestrial Smith," she said, her voice like soft black velvet. Lockhart flinched at the sound of her voice, and then again at her cold steely gaze.  
  
"Oh, oh ok," said Lockhart, slowly backing up "it's just that you look like somebody I knew a long time ago." Celestrial raised one fine eyebrow and looked down her long nose at the man.  
  
"Can we please start the lesson?" asked Thomas, he didn't like that look in Celestrial's eyes anymore than Lockhart did.  
  
"Yes, yes of course," said the man, turning back to the rest of the class and giving them a beaming smile.  
  
  
  
The rest of the lesson went by with very little incident, except that Celestrial had finished her potion within the first ten minutes [show off, muttered Thomas] and then proceded to turn her corner of the dungeons into a damp, dark and dreary place that Lockhart refused to go into. It was when Lockhart dismissed them that the four boys came together to discuss the lesson.  
  
"I can't believe that Dumbledore employed him again!" exclaimed Dennis "dad told me all about the muck-ups he did in DADA."  
  
"And the Duelling club," laughed Jack "when Snape blew five feet off of the ground." They all went silent then, Severus Snape had been missing for 10 years now, after he went on a mission for Dumbledore.  
  
"Anyway, did you see how Lockhart reacted to Celestrial," said Adam "he recognized her."  
  
"Yeah, and he seemed scared to," said Thomas "I wonder who she reminds him of?" they all shrugged at that and continued on to their next class.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile Lockhart stood in the dungeons, staring at the corner where Celestrial had sat.  
  
"She's come back," he whispered "he's come back."  
  
"No he hasn't come back Gilderoy," said Dumbledore from behind him "but I have a feeling she will do that job for us."  
  
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Ahhhhh you say  
  
Where is Snape? Is he dead? What job does Celestrial have to do? And why did Dumbledore bring Lockhart back ???????????? all will be revealed. 


	6. a dress by any other name would still be...

Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter.  
  
Authors note: somebody leaves a dress, and her mothers identity begins to become unravelled.  
  
  
  
The weeks had flown by, classes were taken (Celestrial was top of them all), flying lessons were taught and friends were made. And now it was nearly halloween, and the Halloween ball that had been a tradition for 13 years now. The girls in the Gryffindor (and any other tower) dorm were becoming excited over the upcoming ball. All except Celestrial, who's claimed that she didn't have a dress to wear and therefore wouldn't be attending the ball. Unfortunately Jessica Jones and Martini Brown weren't going to take no for an answer, and neither was the voice in her head.  
  
'You have to go to the ball dear' it would say.  
  
"I'm not going," Celestrial would argue back "I don't have a dress."  
  
'I will find you one,' the voice finally answered.  
  
  
  
It was a dream Celestrial was sure of it. She was in front of the mirror, except it wasn't her. It was a woman, Celestrial was sure of it, the face and body was blurry and unrecognisable, but Celestrial just knew. The woman was humming and smoothing her hair down, Celestrial could tell that she was happy, with the happy power that was radiating from the woman. The only thing that Celestrial could make out was the dress, it was white and thin with a sort of veil at the top. A wedding dress???? What was she seeing, what was she being shown??? And then there was another woman in the room.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" demanded the second woman "you know it's wrong, you know how dangerous this could be."  
  
"I know," whispered the woman in the white dress "but this has been going on for long enough."  
  
"I can't let you do this, what could happen to you if you succeed?" demanded the other woman "what's going to happen to him if you get caught?"  
  
"I don't know," said the first woman "but if he's willing that's just something we have to work through, isn't it?"  
  
"You're insane," said the other woman "you've let this lust go to your head."  
  
"This isn't lust, this is love," she hissed "and you should know, after all you're pregnant yourself."  
  
"I'm also married," said the second woman.  
  
"That doesn't matter," said the other woman.  
  
"Of course it does, especially in this situation," said the second woman "especially with what could be done to you. Please?"  
  
"Tonight he will be mine."  
  
  
  
Celestrial awoke, her head in her hands, confused about what the dream had been.  
  
'I had to show you that dear," said the voice.  
  
"Why? Why is that so important to me?" asked Celestrial.  
  
'It is the first part to the puzzle my dear," said the voice.  
  
"The first part to the …"began Celestrial "one of them was my mother!! Which one???"  
  
'You know the rules," whispered the voice 'if you follow your heart you will find the answer you desire. And the dress of your dreams.'  
  
"The dress, it's here, in Hogwarts???" demanded Celestrial "and if I work out what the first part of this puzzle is, you'll let me have it???"  
  
'You are cleverer than they give you credit for.'  
  
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So….what's the dream really about???? What could happen to the woman in the white dress???? Is it really a wedding??? And why is the dress important???? 


	7. The favor or is it?

Disclaimer: Harry Potter rules ... oh yeah and I don't own him or anything else in the book etc.  
  
Authors note: I know it's been awhile but here it is.  
  
It had started to snow, a little early in the season, yet a layer of cold, white powder covered the usual green lawn of Hogwarts. Celestrial pulled her cloak more firmly around her slender form and hurried across the garden, her eyes partially shut against the glare from the snow. She had a free period, and for the past hour had been sitting by the lake, trying desperately to remember the details of her unusual dream. Since that night the strange voice in her head had not made a re-appearance, and secretly Celestrial mourned it's passing. After all it had been the only thing that would talk to her, and now the loneliness was becoming almost to much to bear. She had always been strong, always been able to take care of herself, yet that strength was beginning to leave her.  
  
"Hey Celestrial!"  
  
She looked up from her musings, to see Jack seated on a bench beside the main building of the school, his transfiguration book on his knee, and a bewildered look on his face. Her first instinct was just to ignore him, and then another idea came to her. She could use this boy, after all he was the eldest son of the famous Harry Potter, he must know some of the secrets of the school, getting on the bad side of this individual would not be a smart move.  
  
"What is it that you want?" she asked, once she was close enough to him for her voice to reach him.  
  
"You're good at all this school work stuff aren't you?" he asked. "I mean you're like some sort of genius or something."  
  
"I have a high enough intelligence to allow me to complete my school work in the time that is assigned to me."  
  
"Whatever," answered Jack, and he gestured to the unused space on the bench. "Think you can give me a hand?"  
  
"I will help you ..."  
  
"But?" asked Jack, shaking his head slightly. "I know you, this won't come without a price."  
  
"There is something you can do for me."  
  
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A single page teaser enough to wet your appetite back into the story? Hmmm what could the favor that Celestrial wants be? 


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